Safety-guard for street-cars.



No. 894,181. r PATENTED JULY 28, 1908.

VA. A. BORKENHAGEN; SAFETY GUARD FOR STREET CARS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 27; 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l;

[NVENTOR W A Home J No. 894,181. PATENTED JULY 28, 1908. A. ALBORKENHAGEN. SAFETY GUARD FOR STREET 0113s.

APPLIGATION FILED 1730 .27. 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES [NVENTOR W Allomg'J No. 894,181. PATENTBD-JULY 28, 1908. A. A. BORKENHAGBN,

SAFETY GUARD FUR STREET CARS. APPLICATION FILED 1330.27.1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

. LVITNESSES INVENTOR ALBERT A. BORKEXHAGEX,

OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

SAFE T Y-GUARD FOB STREET-CABS.

Application filed December 27, 1905.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 28, 1908.

Serial No. 293,542.

T0 alZ 2c/wm it may concern:

Be it known that 'l, ALBERT A. Bonner:-

imonx, a citizen of the United States, residing at St'. Louis city and State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Safety-Guard for Street-Cars; and i do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention. such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains,to make and use the same. I

The object of this invention is to prevent passengers leaving one street car from immediately passing behind the same and thereby endangering their lives by crossing in front fgi Car coming in the opposite dircctionon theother track, and to warn the passengers toFloolibut for the approaching car: in order that the ever-increasing number I of accidents due to this cause may be greatlv reduced or-eliminated. For this purpose, the nvention provides an automatic apparatus incorporated with the brakeanechanism of the car, for extending a safety-guard in the nature of a bar or other obstruction from the lrear end of the car when it stops at crossings or elsewhere, said safety-guard preventing the passengers alighting from the car from immediately passing behind and crossing the other track, and also serving as a movable signal to warn the passengers or pedestrians the annexed claims.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a street car equipped with one form of apparatus embodying my invention, the same being incorporated with the brake mechanism of the car, and having a swinging guard-rail at the rear end ofthe car which lets down behind the same when the brakes are applied to stop the car. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the bottom frame or car-truck, and runningge'ar, brake-mechanism, and mechanism of the safety appliance incorporated therewith.- Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view, principally in rear elevation but with parts in 5 the car when the car is stopped.

section, of the lower end of the guard-rail and parts contiguous thereto. Fig. 4 is a. horizontal cross-section through the guard-rail and its int-losing casing, showing a retainingspring for preventing the rail from coming out of its case. Fig. 5 is a. side view of the rear end of a car equipped with another form of apparatus embodying my invention, this apparatus also having a swinging guard-rail or bar which automatically lets down behind Fig. 6 is a plan view of the same, taken just above the car-truck or bottom frame of the car. Fig. 7 IS a side view of the rear half of a street car, equipped with still another form of apparatus embodving my invention, this apparatus having a longitudinally movable push bar which automatically projects ornioves back behind the rear end of the car when the car is stopped. taken just above the car-truck or bottom frame, similarly to Figs. 2 and 6. Fig. 9 is a detail view of still another form of apparatus embodying my invention.

Referring to Sheet 1 of the drawings, Figs. 1 and 2 represent a street car equipped with an ordinary air-brake apparatus. it will be understood that the invention is adapted for incorpo'rtion or organization with any suitable car-brake mechanism, operated either by hand or by power, the present representation of an air-brake mechanism being adopted "as a preferred means of illustration.

A denotes an air-tank attached to the bot tom of the car, and containing a supply of compressed air. B is a pipe leadingtherefrom to the brake-cylinder C, for supplying compressed air to said cylinder for applying the brakes. The air-valve or-cock b in'the pipe B is controlled by the niotorinan or operator by means of the controller D at the front of the car, through the medium of the connecting-rod E F denotes the piston-rod, which is-forced' Fig. 8 is a. plan view of the same' downward by admission of the compressed air behind the piston in the brake-cylindeix G is an intermediately fulcruined or pivoted brake-lever, connected to and operated by i the opposite brake-beams I are shown pivob ally-attached to said brake-lever at opposite sides of its fulcrum and relatively close thereo aerated to apply the brakes.

to. so that the wheel-brakes at both ends of the car are applied by the same movement of the brake-lever.

The foregoing parts being a common construction of air brake mechanism, require no further explanation.

The brake-lever G has an arm 1 extending beyond its pivotal connections to the pull rods H, and said arm is pivotally-connccted, as by means of the link A to the short arm of the intermediately-fulcrum ed lever ii. in such manner as to throw back the long arm of said lever K when the brake-lever G is The long armv of said lever K is connected by the rod L to the guard-rail or safety-bar M. which is pivotally-mounted on the rear end of the car. Said safety-bar stands normally upright or approximately vertical, as shown in Fig. 1, when the brake-mechanism is in normal inoperative position. The safety-bar is shown set within an open-sided case N therefor, being retained therein by a spring n, which pro vents the bar'from falling out. When the brakes are applied, the safety-bar M swings directly backward and downward. so as to project from the rear end of the car. this movement being effected through the agency of lever K and connecting-rod L. Thus it will be seen that the operation of the safetybar is automatic, occurring simultaneously with the setting of the brakes, so that the motor-man or car driver does not have to manipulate any extra lever or device besides the controller or lever for applying the brakes.

It may be desirable to have the brakes act or .begin to act before the safety-bar is let down, for which reason means for a slight lost motion or play in the connections may be provided, for example, the long arm of the lever K is shown having a slot 7; at its outer end, to which the connecting rod 11 is attached, so that the lever K moves back the distance of the slot before beginning to operate the safety-bar. hen the brakes are released, the safety-bar is raised and returned to its place by any appropriate instrumentality, such as a retracting or recoiling spring O. The safety-bar M is shown mounted rigidly upon an axle or shaft P, ournaled in suitable bearings therefor-at the bottom of the car, and the spring is shown arranged in a boxing therefor and coiled around such shaft or axle and having its opposite ,ends

attached respectively to the car-body and to the safety-bar.

The connecting-rod L may be attached directly to the safety-bar M, or to a part rigid therewithywhere it is desired to operate said safety-bar at all times. or rather whenever the car is stopped.

But where the car is used on asingle-track railway, or for example on a single-track extension of the railway line, it may be desirable to maintain l 1 and 'the application of the brakes.

the bar tiprignt and inoperative at all times, so as to avoid letting down the bar when the car stops at crossings or elsewhere on such single line. For this purpose, the connecting-rod L is shown in Figs. 1, iand 3 con nected to a crank Q, having rigid therewith a clutch-member R adapted to coact with a clutell-member r rigid with the safety-bar. the said clutch-rnenibers being keyed on the axle or shaft P. When the clutclrinieinbers are engaged, as in Fig. 3, the safety-bar swings down simultaneously with the appli cation of the brakes, or immediately after the clutch members are disengaged the safety-bar remains inoperative in its upright position. In this connection, the aforesaid retaining-spring 'n is especially desirable for holding the safety-bar in its case N and preventing it from falling out, when the clutch: members are disengaged.

the side of the car near the rear end thereof. said lcver having a. shortarm carrying a slotted segment 8, which segment fits over the clutch collar R, so as to permit movement of the lever within the limits allowed by the length of the slot. The said slot-tedsegment s is inclined, as shown in; Fig. 3, and is ar' ranged between the opposite flanges or collars r.of the clutch-member B, so that when the lever S is movedbac-kward its inclined slotted segment .9 will exert a cam action on the clutchanember R, throwing the same outward and disengaging it from the clutchmember 1, while the opposite or forward movement of the lever S will exert a similar cam action to move the clutch-member R inward-and engage it with the clutch-member r. Lever S is-shown having a supplemental locking-lever 8, whose lockbolt engages the usual segmental rack 3 By this means, the safetybar may be operativelyconnected with the brake-mechanism'or disconnected at will so as to operate therewith. or remain inoperative as desired.

Referring to Figs. 5 and 6, which illustrate anotherform or embodiment of the invention, M designates the safety-bar or guardrail, which in this instance is shown pivotally mounted at the rear end of the car platform. As in the construction first described. the safety-bar M maintains an upright position normally, but when the car stops and'thc brakes are applied said safety-bar swings down behind the car,- as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 5. In this case, the safety-inn" )1 is shown mounted rigidly on a crank-shaft or axle P, which is 'journaled in suitable bearings therefor beneath the platform of the car. and has associated therewith a retracting or rccoiling spring 0 for elevating the safetybar when the brakes are released. The brake mechanism .is the same as shown in 2, and the corresponding parts But; when 7 I '85 For ope-rating v the clutch, a lever S is shown fulcrunied at low an initial-movement of the brake-mechanism before the safety-mechanism begins to operate.

Referring to the construction shown iii F igs. 7 comprises a longitudinally movable bar M arranged at the side of the car and working in guidesm.-therefor, and normally main tained in retracted position, as shown in the figures, but adaptedto be projected backward so as to extend behind the rear end of the car, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 7.

. The said safety-bar M is operated, through the agency of the instrumentalities now to be dc ribed, by the car-brake mechanism which ismpresented as-of like construction to that shown in the previous figures, and is designated by the same reference symbols. The

brake-lever G is connected by the link 7c to the short arm of an intermediately-fulcrumed lever 1x, sinnlar to the construction shown in Fig. 2. See Fig. 8. The longarm of said lever K is connected'by a link i to a lever T,

which is fulcrumed at t on a bracket i -extending from the car-truck, said lever T being adapted to move in a vertical plane beside the car. .Said lever T has a long arm which is'slo't-ted, and its said slot i engages a pin 25. attached to the safety-bar M By tlns means, when the brake-mechanism is operated to apply the brakes, the lever T is .swung rearwa-rdly thereby pushing back the safety-bar M the slot t allowing the pin 2&

to ride therein. The link t, which connects the levers K and T, is preferably adapted'for disconnection from one of these parts, being shown in Fig. 7 having a hooked end which engages the lever K. By this means, the

said link i can be disengaged so that the brake-mechanism will not affect the safetybar, in case it is not desired to have the same 0 erate, as when the car is traveling on a sine gl ev track. Moreover, the pin itis shown inserted through a slot i in the bar M and is rigidly clamped to the bar by a thumb-nut t By loosening the nut t the bar M may be moved forward, its slotted part i riding past the pin t'fi so that the rear end of said ar M can be moved in front of the rear platform of the car, thereby ermitting the projected from its forward end and provided.

and 8, in this case the safety-member with a piston m which works in a cylinder m The pipe B, leading from the air-tank A of the brake-mechanism tothe' brake cvl inder C, has a branch pipe b leading-to the of the invention illustrated may be duplicatod at the opposite or front end of the car, at the reverse side of the car, so to provide the same safety means at the other end of the car when the car is traveling in the oppo site direction. Where the car is equipped with, such mechanisms at both ends, the mechanism at the front end of the car will of course be disconnected from the brake-mechanism, so as to remain inoperative, while the mechanismat the rearend of the car will work simultaneously with the application of the brakes, to extend the safety-bar behind the car, as previously described.

' It will, be understood that the invention is not limitedto any particular form or embodiment shown, and is also susceptible of embodiment in other constructions, and susceptible of various modifications in details of structure and arrangement of parts, without departing from the scope of my inven tion. I

Havingthus fully described my invention, what .I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A safetyappliance for street cars, con1 prising a guard-member carried by the'car, and means connected with the car brakes and controlled by the operator of the car for extending said member back from the rear en of the car when setting the brakes, thereby presenting an obstruction to prevent passengers or others from passing immediately'behind the car. i

2. A safety appliance for street cars, comprising a guard-member carried by the car and normally held in a retracted position, and automatic mechanism for ext-ending said guard-member back from the rear end of the. car when-the car stop s.

- 3. A safety appliancefor street cars, comprising agguaid-member carried by the car and normally held in a retracted position, and automatic mechanism for extending-said guard-member back from the rear end of the car when the car stops',.and automatic means for retracting said guardanoniber.

l. In a street car, the combination with 125 guard-member whereby the application of 130 the oar-brakes causes said guard-member to extend-back from the rear end of the car.

5.111 a street Call, the combination with the car brake-mechanism of the gum-(L nember carried by the car and normally held in a retracted position, and operative connections between said brake-inechnnism and guard member whereby the application of the car-brakes causes said guard-member to extend back from the rear end of tlie'car, and.

automatic means for retracting the guardmember when the car-brakes are released.

-6. In a street car, the combination with the car-brakes, of a brake-lever, means for operating the same, connections between said brake-lever and cnr-brakes for applying the brakes, 'a guard-member -ca-rried by the car and maintained normally in a retracted position, and connections between said guardmember: and brake-lever whereby when the latteris operated for applying the brakes the guard-member is extended back from the rear end of the car.

7; In a street car, the combination wit-h the car-brakes, and brake-actusting mechanism, of a guznd-1neniber carried by the car and normally maintained in a retracted position, an actuating lever connected with said guard-member and adopted to extend the same behind the rear end of the car, the said lever being; operated by the brake-actuating mechanism.

8. in a street car, the combination with the'car-brakes, and brake-actuating mechanism. of a uard-men1ber carried b the car and nor-madly maintained in a retracted position, the said guard-member adapted to be extended back from the rear end of the car, connections between the guard-member and brske-niechnnisin for extending said. gun-rdieinber when the brakes are applied, and means allowing an initial movement of the brake-mechanism before the guard-member begins to move.

9. Inastreet car, the combination with the cari'irakes, of brake-actuating mechanism, a guard-member carried by the car and n-dn-pted to be extended behind the car, a-ctunting-mechanism therefor operated by the breke-mechanism, and means for operativel connecting and disconnecting the guardineinber from its actuating-mechanism.

10. In a street car, the combination of an upright bar pivotally mounted at the rear of the car and adapted to swing rearwardly and downwardly to a position behind the car, brake actnziting mechanism, and connections between the same and said her whereby the bar is moved to a down position when the brakes are set.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT A. BOR KENHAGEY. \Yitnesses R. T. EHRHARDT,

A. R. OBRIEN. 

